Here are 25 kickass random facts. For part 731, click here
1-5 Kickass Random Fact
1. In 1940, Hitler decided to change the name of the battle cruiser “Deutschland” to “Lützow” recognizing that the sinking of a warship was a propaganda disaster if it bore the name of its country. – Source
2. When David Bowie died in 2016, the German government thanked him for a concert he held in Berlin in 1987, stating it was a major reason Berlin was unified and tore down the Berlin wall. – Source
3. In 1999, a British man, angered at being charged £20 for going £10 overdrawn, legally changed his name to “Yorkshire Bank plc are Fascist Bastards” just to receive a return cheque in that name to settle the account. – Source
4. Val Kilmer has lost his voice, quite literally. The only way we may hear speak again is through a computer program. – Source
5. In 2004, a fake ‘Sri Lankan national handball team’ tricked its way into a German tournament, lost all of its matches, and then mysteriously disappeared. A farewell letter thanked the Bavarians for their hospitality. – Source
6-10 Kickass Random Facts
6. The Hall & Oates song “I Can’t Go For That” is not about a relationship between two lovers, but about the way the music industry treats artists. John Oates said that the song is really about “not being pushed around by big labels, managers, & agents”. – Source
7. In 2014, the state of Alabama paid $75,000 for the right to use the phrase “Sweet Home Alabama” on road signs at the state line. – Source
8. In 2011, a couple from Florida turned the tables and received a judgment against Bank of America for mistakingly foreclosing the family’s home and to cover subsequent legal fees. A court issued the family a writ of execution giving them permission to seize bank assets. – Source
9. Blockbuster Video’s attempt to enter Japan in the early ’90s failed due in part to their business strategy of “Wholesome Home Entertainment” not accounting for the popularity in Japan of extreme horror films, or the fact that adult entertainment accounted for 35% of the Japanese video market. – Source
10. In 1986, divers at the wreck of the Titanic discovered there was no large gash in the hull as originally expected. Instead, it is believed that the iceberg simply loosened or buckled seams in the hull of the “unsinkable” ship. – Source
11-15 Kickass Random Facts
11. The creator of “The Trivia Encyclopedia” attempted to sue “Trivial Pursuit” for using their ‘false’ fact in their game. The false fact was about the first name of the character Columbo. – Source
12. Sinead O’Connor was a major inspiration for REM’s Losing my Religion video. Not only was Michael Stipe so moved by Sinéad’s lip-syncing in the Nothing Compares to U video that he finally acquiesced to lip-synching in REM music videos, but he also states that he stole his dance moves from her. – Source
13. The infamous sound German JU-87 dive bombers made while in a dive is due to a siren installed on the plane, and not just the sound of the plane diving on a bomb run. – Source
14. The Aboriginal people of Australia have occupied the land for more than 60,000 years. – Source
15. For 25 years, “Goodnight Moon” wasn’t carried at the New York Public Library because it was hated by the children’s librarian. – Source
